San Francisco

Definitely a “bucket list” holiday.

The thinking was, in early 2027, we’re off on a cruise to Hawaii from SF, with two nights in the city before we sail. But the more we looked, the more we wanted to cram in, in what is effectively a day and a half. So to stop us rushing round like mad things, we took a week to take it in at a better pace.

Homework

For any trip like this though, you have to do your homework, planning is the key to get the most out of any city visit, especially one with as much to see as San Francisco. Be it YouTube or general internet searching, there’s plenty of people willing to offer their thoughts and suggestions.

Getting About

First off, you don’t need a car to see most of this city, public transport works really well and is much cheaper than car hire. plus parking can be a nightmare! If you’re feeling brave, you can also try Waymo, the driverless taxi service. Once you master the app and stand exactly where you said you wanted picking up from, it works well, if a little odd sat in the back with nobody in front.

A 7-day MUNI travel pass cost us $47. This pass covers you for busses, trams, and crucially the cable cars, bearing in mind these are $9 per trip!

Transport from SFO, San Francisco International airport, can be done using the BART, Bay Area Rapid Transport. Get the Clipper app, topping that up is easy, plus you can also use this on numerous ferries across the bay, including those to Sausalito.

SF is definitely a walkable city, especially along the bay shore. Fisherman’s Wharf to The Ferry Building only took us about 20-25 minutes and it’s all flat. It’s another easy walk from there into Union Square. There’s plenty of hills though, but coming from Sheffield, they posed no problems. Those from flatter parts take note.

Accommodation

For UK visitors, regardless of who you book with, it seems to be a 50/50 split between hotels near Union Square or at Fisherman’s Wharf. We chose the latter and didn’t regret it one bit. You’re in walking distance of Pier 39 itself, with its collection of attractions and eateries, there’s useful stores nearby like Trader Joe’s and 7eleven, and good transport links into the city centre, including cable car termini for both lines.

We stayed at RUI Plaza, which was great and all you can really ask for; clean and tidy, helpful staff, comfy beds and theres a good breakfast buffet which should suit most people. If you’re hiring a car to travel further afield, there’s also a parking garage or two nearby.

Getting There

Flying from the UK, the only way to get a direct flight is via Heathrow (LHR). Aside from the obvious, a trek from wherever and round the M25, it leaves you limited to a couple of options from whichever other airport you want to fly from. As a result, it’s worth looking very closely at the flight details, then doing the maths, for both time and money.

All the direct flights from LHR are roughly 11 hours, give or take dependant upon wind/weather. You may have booked with Delta, or KLM, but there’s every chance you’ll end up on Virgin Atlantic or BA.

There’s two distinctly different one-stop options from most of the other airports. The BA shuttle service to LHR then onto whichever carrier you’ve booked with, or a flight to an assortment of European hubs, and a connecting flight to SFO.

This means you could fly to say Amsterdam (AMS) or Paris Charles De Gaulle (CDG), which in effect is an hour or so in the wrong direction, then switch to your actual flight to SFO and go back the way you came in the process. You could also take a short hop to Dublin and fly direct from there. However, the costs soon mount up regardless.

Needless to say, flight delays leaving your starter airport or landing at your hub could mean a sprint to catch your connecting flight, let alone missing it, and personally I like seeing my luggage on arrival, not a few weeks later.

We bit the bullet and flew direct from Heathrow. Everything was booked through Virgin Atlantic and as ever they were fantastic.

What To See/Do

In no particular order, if you’ve a week to wander, we’d include these:

• The Ferry Building: A great place for artisan food and shops, with a farmers market outside on Saturdays.
• Fisherman’s Wharf: Attractions, food, shops and Sea Lions, very loud Sea Lions!
• Haight-Asbury: The home of hippie culture and the summer of love. You have to check out Love on Haight, for the best in tie die. Bring your shades! If you’re into vinyl or CD, be prepared to lose an hour or more in Amoeba Music.
• Fire Engine Tours: This was without doubt a highlight of our visit. Across Golden Gate Bridge on a vintage fire engine, the whole tour takes roughly 90 minutes.
• Golden Gate Park; A really enjoyable walk, including the conservatory, Japanese Tea Gardens, and lots more.
• Sausalito: Take a ferry ride across the bay to picturesque Sausalito. Plenty of little shops, a great book store, a nice ice cream parlour, and a few good food spots. Sit and chill on the sea front.
• Alcatraz: An utterly fascinating few hours visiting “The Rock”. The guided audio tour is well worth doing, and if you take a late boat out, you can stay for lock up! Access is only via Alcatraz City Cruises
• Ghirardelli Square: An easy walk from Fisherman’s Wharf, also not far from the Powell & Hyde cable car terminus, this is the home of Ghirardelli’s chocolate, and not sampling would be rude! Also some nice shops, including a great shop for dog owners called Yap!
• Cable Cars: A trip to SF would be the same without a ride on these iconic old vehicles. Check out the museum as well.
• Lombard Street. You only need to see it once, but you have to see it. It must be nice to have space and willing residents to do something like this, as well as drivers willing to navigate it at the correct speed.
• Palace of Fine Arts. If you’re a photographer, definitely worth a visit, but also another site better with blue skies! A fascinating remnant of the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition.
• Skywalker General Store: If you’re a Star Wars fan (Guilty! since 1977) a short walk from the Palace of Fine Arts will take you into the Presidio. Other than a nice walk, it’s home to Lucas Arts studios, the Yoda Fountain and the general store; credit card at the ready!

Many commentators say Union Square isn’t what it used to be, we can’t really judge as we never saw it in its pre-COVID hey day, but we get what they’re saying. Great for top of the range shops, including Macy’s and the Apple Store (of course), but it looks a little tired.

Chinatown, it may be the largest in the USA, but it did nothing for us.

Biggest disappointment? Of all things, the Painted Ladies. If we’d had blue skies and sun, maybe, but without it, someone really needs to get the pain brushes out and cheer them up.

We also took a one day coach trip to Monterrey and Carmel, along with 17 Mile Drive. You need much more time than we had in both places. All it succeeded in doing is wetting our appetite and we’re now planning a proper California Coast Highway holiday/tour.

General Info

We loved SF, it feels like a safe city to walk round, and was. It’s clean, the people are really friendly, and just like everywhere else we’ve been in the USA, customer service is exemplary, which is more than can be said for England in too many places.

We can’t wait to return, even for a couple of days.